Chapter 4

Arianna

"Sorry. You're no longer working with us."

Those were the words that kept circling in my head. Within less than twenty-four hours, I had lost both jobs.

First S&M Publishing House shutting down overnight after the fraud investigation. Then walking into the club and getting informed the boss from above gave orders to fire me.

Surprisingly... I wasn't very much shocked after I found out Damien owned the club I worked at. A man like him owning places like that made perfect sense now.

Still, one question kept burning through my head.

Why? Did he really hate my existence that much?

I leaned back against the chair tiredly, rubbing my eyes.

Losing one job was painful enough. Losing two at once felt cruel. And the worst part was that I couldn't stop myself from thinking Damien had something to do with all of it. 

A warm cup suddenly appeared beside my laptop.

"Take a break, girl," Tessa said as she sat down next to me. "You've been job hunting for almost half the day."

I shut the laptop and looked at Tessa. "Why would he do that to me?"

"I don't understand him," I admitted, my voice cracking slightly despite trying to hold it together. "After six years... why now? Why does it feel like he still wants to punish me for something?"

Because that was exactly what it felt like.

Punishment.

Like Damien  walked back into my life just to remind me he could still destroy parts of it whenever he wanted.

Tessa reached for my hand and squeezed it. "Ariana—"

"No." I shook my head. "You didn't see the way he looked at me, Tess. It was like..." I swallowed hard. "Like he hated me for breathing."

"He can never know about Lily." I glanced at Lily's room door. My daughter is fast asleep oblivious to the storm catching up with her mother. 

Lily deserved better than growing up around someone like that.

Someone cold. Someone capable of turning love into punishment.

My daughter would never grow up watching toxicity disguised as affection. Never grow up scared of the people who claimed to care about her.

I wouldn't allow it. Not even if I had to fight Damien himself.

Tessa squatted closer. "Hey, that asshole doesn't get to walk back into your life and ruin everything again."

A shaky breath left me. "He already started."

"No. You lost two jobs. That's horrible, yes. But you're still standing, Ariana. You've survived worse than Damien freaking Valmont."

A small laugh escaped me despite the exhaustion.

"And for the record," she continued, leaning back against the couch, "if he thinks firing you is going to break you, then he clearly doesn't know you at all."

"You'll get another job," she said confidently. "Probably one better than both of those places combined."

I looked at her then, and suddenly gratitude hit me. 

"Thank you. For always being here," I admitted. "For me. For Lily. I don't know what I would've done without you these past years."

"Okay, stop." She pointed at me dramatically. "I hate emotional speeches."

"This house is yours too, Ariana. You know that." Her expression softened. "Besides, once Matt and I get married, we're moving out anyway, remember? Then you'll finally have the whole place to yourself."

Matt is Tessa's boyfriend. He was calm where Tessa was chaotic. Even Lily adored him. Half the time, Matt was the one helping pick her up from school whenever Tessa got busy with work, always showing up with snacks or some random little toy Lily begged him for.

"You really love him, huh?" I nudged her arm. 

Tessa tried to hide her smile and failed miserably.

"Unfortunately."

I laughed again, shaking my head.

**

The cold evening air helped more than I expected. I decided to take a fresh breath out. By the time I finished walking around the neighborhood, the tightness in my chest had eased.

Tessa was right. Maybe losing those jobs wasn't the end of my life.

I had survived worse. And if life wanted me to start over again, then fine. I would.

For Lily. For myself.

I adjusted the grocery bag in my hand as I crossed the street toward the apartment building. I had stopped by a convenience store on my way back and grabbed ice cream for Tessa and Lily.

Chocolate for Lily. Vanilla crunch for Tessa.

My lips almost curved into a smile at the thought of how dramatic Tessa would get if I returned without her favorite flavor.

But the smile disappeared followed by my steps slowing. A black car was parked in front of apartment building.

And leaning against it like he had every right to be there... was Damien.

The sleeves of his black shirt were rolled up slightly, exposing tattooed skin beneath his watch. One hand rested casually inside his pocket while the other held a cigarette between his fingers. My entire body went rigid.

For a second, I actually thought about turning around. But it would make me look like I've lost. Which I haven't. And I won't.

So I forced my feet forward until I stopped a few steps away from him.

"How did you find my house?" I asked coldly.

Damien lifted his eyes slowly to mine before taking a drag from his cigarette, like my anger didn't interest him at all.

"You really think there's anywhere you can hide from me if I decide to look for you?"

The calmness in his voice made something twist painfully inside my chest.

"Why are you here?"

Smoke escaped his lips as his gaze slowly dragged over me.

I clenched my jaw. "Isn't firing me enough for you?"

One of his brows lifted. "So you figured out the club belongs to me."

I let out a bitter laugh. "I guess shutting down my life is part of your entertainment too."

"I don't control government investigations, Ariana," he said, holding my gaze.

He didn't deny that he was behind it. And somehow, that hurt worse.

I stared at him, rage and helplessness crashing against each other so violently inside me that it almost became hard to breathe.

Because this was exactly who Damien is.

"You know what?" I laughed. "This doesn't mean you've won. You're only proving a point."

"And what point is that?"

"That you still have power over my life, which you don't."

My inner voice screamed at me to stay steady. To not let him see even a crack. I couldn't afford weakness in front of him. Not again. Not ever.

Something flickered across his face—maybe anger.

He pushed himself off the car slowly and stepped closer. With every step he took, the space between us shrank, and my breathing hitched.

"You think losing your two jobs is me using power?" he whispered.

My stomach tightened.

"If I actually decided to ruin your life, Ariana..." His voice dropped lower, colder, "...you wouldn't be able to get hired anywhere in this city."

A sharp chill crawled down my spine.

God.

Six years ago, Damien used to hold my hand like I was something precious.

Now every word out of his mouth felt like a threat wrapped in calmness.

I hated that part of me still reacted to him. Hated how my chest tightened whenever he stepped closer.

Hated how badly I wanted to scream at him for turning into this person.

Or maybe he had always been this person, and I was simply too in love to see it.

"You're insane," I spat. Despite how my heart was thumping, I still held his gaze. A humorless smirk touched his lips.

"That's not new."

I swallowed hard, trying not to let him see how badly he was getting under my skin.

But it was getting harder. My fingers tightened painfully around the plastic bag.

"What do you want from me?"

Damien held my gaze for a long moment. The cigarette burned slowly between his fingers before he finally dropped it to the ground and crushed it beneath his shoe.

Then his eyes lifted back to mine.

"You."

My brows furrowed. "What?"

"I want you." His voice remained calm. Like he wasn't saying something capable of tearing through me all over again.

A bitter laugh escaped me.

"Still trying to make me your mistress?"

His jaw flexed. "You need money." He glanced at the grocery bag in my hand before looking back at me. "I can solve that problem for you."

The humiliation hit so hard. Like every struggle I'd survived these past years suddenly meant nothing in front of him.

I forced myself to laugh again even though my chest burned painfully.

"You really think throwing money around fixes everything, don't you?"

"It fixes most things."

I shook my head slowly. "No. It just makes you believe you can control people."

Damien stepped even closer. Close enough for his scent to wrap around me. "Tell me where the hell you disappeared to for six years."

No. I wouldn't do this with him again.

Wouldn't stand here reopening wounds he created in the first place.

"You lost the right to ask me anything a long time ago."

Something dark flickered across his face at that. "You keep saying that," he muttered. "Like you were the only one destroyed."

Yes I was the only one who got destroyed.  He humilaiged me. Called me names. In front of his family. And chose another woman over me. I tightened my grip around the grocery bag and stepped back. 

"I'm not doing this with you."

But before I could, his hand shot out and caught my wrist. He pulled me back sharply. I stumbled forward, my hand landing against his chest to steady myself.

The impact brought my face too to his.  His scent wrapped around me instantly. His chest was solid under my palm, his presence overwhelming in a way that made my breath hitch.

His grip on my wrist tightened slightly as his eyes dropped to me.

His breath brushed against my face as he leaned in just slightly. "Who is the father?" He whispered. 

"That's none of your goddamn business," I spat.

His jaw clenched.

"Answer me, Ariana."

He pulled me more closer just enough to remind me how much power he has over me. But I wouldn't allow that ti happen. I opened my mouth to argue again—

"Ariana."

Both our head snapped towards the source of voice.  And Damien's hold on me tightened more.